“Look ahead,” I instruct. “And not at the camera. It helps.”
Even in her heels, she’s several inches shorter than I am, so I have to walk slower than I normally would. It’s with relief we finally make it to the door and have a momentary reprieve as Shane and Mack wait for us.
“Exit left,” Shane says with a wink. “And Miss Montague, thank you for your prompt reply to my email.”
She gives him a coy smile and nods. I was enamored with her before. Watching her handle the pressure with such grace and poise makes me want her even more.
As we enter the reception area, I lean in and pat her bottom discreetly. She gives a little gasp and wobbles on her heels, but I quickly right her. I lean in and whisper in her ear. “That’s my good little babygirl. Daddy will reward you so well tonight, baby.”
She nods and mouths, “Yes, daddy.”
So cute.
Reporters and photographers are stationed in one room only once we hit the reception area, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s less stuffy in here, with uniformed security guards at every entrance and exit.
“Now we’ll have something to eat,” I tell her. “Make small talk.”
“Can I eat standing up?” she asks, her brow knit in concentration.
“No, babe. You’ll sit beside me.”
Her eyes go wide and she hisses. “With this… thing in me? I’ve already worn it on the car ride, but sitting in front of people knowing it’s in there?”
“Of course, Miranda. Don’t be afraid. You’ll handle it well.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. “And admit it, baby. It’s turning you on.”
The way she bites that lip again confirms my suspicion. “My baby loves when I make her submit to me.”
She nods, her eyes cast to the table. I take out my phone and send her a text so no one hears.
You please daddy very much.
She retrieves her phone from her little handbag, taps the screen, and shoots me a text back.
It’s hard to form a coherent thought beyond ‘obey daddy’ with this thing in my ass.
I smile.
Good.
As I go to slide my phone in my pocket, it buzzes. I look at the screen, surprised to see it’s her sister. We exchanged numbers before we left on my insistence. I wanted Lexi to come directly to me if there were any issues with the facility. I want to take as much off Miranda’s shoulders as possible.
I answer the phone as I pull out a chair for Miranda, stifling a chuckle as she winces when she sits, then heat flares in her eyes.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Lord?”
“Speaking.”
“It’s Lexi. I… I just wanted to thank you for what you did. I received a phone call earlier from a man named Shane. And he was so kind. He’s made sure everything is in place if Mom stays here longer. I was asking him, and I thought I should ask you. Just in case... um... is there any chance there’s a place like this... there? In Nevada?”
It’s fine with me, but I wonder why Lexi would want to move her mom. Especially since she visits her daily. “Whatever you girls want. I’ll work it out.”
She breaths a relieved sigh. But I can tell there’s something more on her mind.
“Anything else?”
“And I think we need to—hold on. I’m getting another call.” There’s a sniffle. Her voice drops, and she suddenly goes very quiet and whispers, “I have to go. I’ll call you back.” The line goes dead. I stare at it curiously, and Miranda looks up to me.
“What is it? Everything okay?”
I sit beside her as the waiters hand us flutes of champagne. “That was Lexi.”
Instant panic rises in her eyes. “Oh? What happened?”
“Well, she called to thank me again. And she had an interesting question—she wants to know if it’s possible to move your mom, here.”
“Huh. I mean, I’m not opposed to the idea, I’d love to see her more, but it seems like an upheaval for mom.”
I nod. “We’ll do what’s best. There’s one more thing. She hung up the phone kind of suddenly. Check on her to see if everything’s okay.”
She whips her phone out and dials Lexi but gets her voicemail. She sends her a text. I watch over her shoulder.
Everything ok??
Lexi: Yes. I’ll talk to you later. Have an amazing evening!!
She shrugs and tucks her phone back in her bag. “Lexi can be a little dramatic. Comes from being a performer, I guess.”
“Performer?”
Miranda nods as she takes a sip of champagne. “Yes, she’s an actress, dancer, the whole nine yards. Dreams of pursuing Broadway, but for now mostly focuses on community theater.”
Ah.
“And you’ll see as you get to know her, she has a bit of a… penchant for the dramatic, you might say.” I smile at that.
“Unlike her pragmatic older sister?”
Miranda gives me a satisfied smirk. “Quite.”